19th Century (October Plotters)

Contents

1800-1821

King Frederick I became the first king of the British Union in 1792. Under him, British politics stabilised and British loyalism became a trend. However, the example of the British First Republic had inspired others. In France, the common people threw off their shackles and rose against the French regime. At first, the newly democratic British Union favoured democratic revolution, but soon looked on in horror as France made all the same mistakes. France fell under the control of the Jacobins and began their Reign of Terror. Frederick was frightened of getting involved for fear of sparking revolutionary feeling in Britain once more. He finally declared war on France when the Netherlands fell under Jacobin control. Britain fought with France for years. The Republic became an Empire under Napoleon who fueled another wave of expansionism, bringing virtually all of Europe under his influence, even freeing Ireland. Napoleon secured control over Saint Dominique but he was finally forced to stop his war in 1819, when Wellington successfully besieged Paris. The vast French Empire in Europe was to be split up into Russian, Swedish and French satellite states. Peace was restored and two years later, Frederick died.

1821-1846

King Frederick was succeeded by his son, Charles. King Charles III became king at the height of Whig reformism. The vote was extended the working class, attempts were made at alleviating the plight of the poor and the American colonies were more directly united to the British Union. However in 1837, Parliament banned slavery. There was an uproar in the slave dependent South who seceded as the United States of America. After a long war involving France Spain and the Netherlands, the USA achieved its independence, retaining the institution of slavery. At the same time, the Colony of Louisiana was given back to the French by the Spanish, Spain took control of the Floridas once again, and Britain was forced to cede its claims to the Oregon Country to Spain. The war ended in 1843. Over the next four years, King Charles retreated from direct politics and became known as Farmer Charlie for his interests in agriculture. He died on a plantation he owned in Pennsylvania in 1846.

1846-1897

After Charles' death, his son James took the throne. He was the first king of the British Union to have spent his formative years in America, specifically New York. Under King James II, new colonies were created in British America. He came under a lot of criticism for focusing on the American colonies. Although Britain had won a series of wars against the French and other enemies, other colonial possessions had not been expanded. British control of Africa was only based around South Africa, Gambia and Somalia. The remainder of the British Empire was Australia, New Zealand and India. This was still a vast area, but their were fears of growing French power as well as a threatening Russia and Sweden. James' reign lasted fifty seven years. In this time, Britain went to war with Spain and took back the Oregon Country, Alaska was sold to the British and Northern Louisiana was annexed. Loyalists from the USA were resettled in newly established colonies in Oregon and Alaska. In the 1880's, the Hudson's Bay Company collapsed, the British Government bought them put and opened the area up for more colonisation. The HBC had discouraged settlement of Rupert's Land to keep the hunting of beavers and moose as well as forestry sustainable. Now people flooded in. In the 1890's, the British Government encouraged various princes from India to move to the newly opened up area. This was to bring the Princely States under East India Company control. With the princes came whole swaths of the Indian population. The new Indian population suffers a lot of racism but eventually people in Northern British America become acclimatised to their presence. In 1897, King James II died of a stroke and was succeeded by his daughter Sophia.

1897-1900

Queen Sophia presided over a time of incredible change. The British Union was extended over the Oceanian Dominion, and as the 19th century drew to a close, the Union became the Federacy. From this point, tensions in Europe extended over the globe. The maps had been filled in, and the age of quiet colonialism was ending. France, Germany and others were eager to extend their empires. But Britain retained her sublime separation from European affairs and the ideology of New Imperialism. ﻿